FEATURE
New Mandatory Background Checks for the Nation's Largest Retailer

Wal-Mart, which employs 1.3 million people worldwide, announced they will require criminal background checks on all new hires nationwide.

"We have hundreds of thousands of trustworthy women and men serving our customers," said Sue Oliver, a senior vice president at Wal-Mart stores division. "By adding another level of security to our hiring practices, our associates can be assured that we are strengthening our efforts to try to intercept anyone who might otherwise damage that integrity. We also believe this will add yet another level of comfort for our customers."

This announcement comes on the heels of a bill proposed by State Representative Chip Limehouse (R-Charleston) that would require all South Carolina retailers that sell toys or children's clothing with multiple stores and gross annual sales of more than $15 million to perform criminal background checks on all prospective employees.

Limehouse said he drafted his bill in reaction to news about a 10-year-old girl who authorities say was molested in 2000 in a Columbia Wal-Mart and a 12-year-old girl who reported she was fondled on July 3, 2004 in an Orangeburg Wal-Mart. In both cases, the accused molesters were registered sex offenders.

In September, Wal-Mart plans to implement the new policy in all stores run by Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs in the Midwest region and expand nationally over the next several months.

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(Source: Associated Press)